Writing honest songs and delivering them from the heart with a rootsy fusion of country and rock with a touch of blues earned the Taft native a loyal following first on the Red Dirt music scene in Oklahoma, where he spent his teens and early 20s, and later upon his return to Texas. Those passionate live performances don't hurt, either. Last month, “Travelin' Kind,” a ballad about not seeing eye-to-eye, topped the Texas Music chart and the Texas Regional Radio Report. It's from his latest album, “Velvet,” whose title cut also topped the charts.